It’s that time of year again and we all feel the pressure to bake something for the holidays.  For some, it means attempting to bake something that your mother-in-law will approve of, yet is easy enough for the novice baker to make.

Some traditions call for specific dishes for the holidays.  A traditional Jewish dish of Kugel is always well received and is easy to make.  As where the Italian dishes of Pizzagaina or Pizza Rustica is a challenge even for the most experienced bakers.

What happens if you’re in the middle of making the recipe and realize that you’re missing a key ingredient?  With no time to run to the store to purchase that missing item, here’s a list of substitutions that I’ve found have worked in a pinch.

If you’re short on eggs when baking, you can replace with 1 tsp cornstarch with ¼ cup water for one whole egg.

Whole milk is not welcome in our home but some recipes are specific and call for whole milk.  Don’t waste the money on buying a quart of whole milk when you can replace 1 cup whole milk with ½ cup evaporated milk plus ½ cup water. 

Replacing 1 cup of plain Greek yogurt for 1 cup of buttermilk, is a healthy substitute and the recipe will turn out just fine.  Make sure the yogurt is at room temperature before using.

Some items get pushed to the back of my cabinets because I don’t use them often enough.  One item is corn syrup and normally I can’t get the top off of it.  You can replace one cup of corn syrup with 2/3 granulated sugar plus 1/3 cup water.

 If you missed the sale on butter at the store, you can replace 1 cup of butter in a baking recipe with 7/8 cup of a light flavorless oil such as vegetable or canola oil. 

What have you replaced for the missing ingredient?  Share your secrets and let’s have a stress free holiday with lots of home baked goodies.